Remember ember

Downtown Austin's Seaholm District welcomes dazzling new restaurant

Ember Kitchen & Subterra Agave Bar is coming to the Seaholm District in 2023.

Courtesy of Ember Kitchen

A new restaurant is coming to Austin's historic Seaholm Power Plant. Opening in January 2023, Ember Kitchen & Subterra Agave Bar will be a multi-level concept combining a restaurant and speakeasy at 800 W. Cesar Chavez, Ste. PP110.

According to a release, the restaurant's executive chef will be María Mercedes Grubb, a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and the first Puerto Rican woman to earn a James Beard nomination in 2019. Grubb attended the French Culinary Institute in New York; honed her craft in the Michelin-starred kitchen of The Modern; and helped open Bar Basque and Danny Meyer’s Italian eatery, Maialino. Most recently, she returned to Puerto Rico to open and run Gallo Negro, where her work as executive chef earned her a Food & Wine mention as one of the leading chefs on the island.

Ember Kitchen will be on the concept's main floor, offering a live-fire experience with Latin flare — courtesy of the Spanish Josper oven and grill, which burns a signature blend of charcoal and wood. Downstairs, Subterra Agave Bar will have a speakeasy aesthetic and showcase a curated section of agave cocktails and Latin spirits from mixologist San Andres.

The dual concept's operating partner is an Austin-based startup, inKind, which currently partners with over 600 restaurants across the U.S. — including 13 in Austin. Founded by fellow restaurant operators, the group's mission is to support restaurants through the ever-increasing hurdles facing the hospitality industry. InKind provides "non-dilutive financing" by purchasing credits from partner restaurants, selling said credits to guests, and rewarding them with a spending bonus for pre-purchasing ahead of their next dining experience through the inKind app.

According to the release, Ember Kitchen & Subterra Agave Bar is a unique opportunity for inKind to have operational stake in its own restaurant, testing new partnership integrations, marketing initiatives, and exclusive guest experiences. The company plans to use Ember as a model to demonstrate its operational services for future restaurant partners.

“We started inKind with the goal of creating a new restaurant financing system that actually helps restaurants grow and thrive,” inKind founder and CEO Johann Moonesinghe shared in the release. “Now we’re taking everything we’ve learned and using it to create this unique space that combines technical innovation with an outstanding hospitality experience.”

Ember Kitchen & Subterra Agave Bar are both slated to open in January, while a third, as-yet-unnamed rooftop bar is due to open later in 2023. Ember Kitchen will be open 5 pm to 11 pm, and Subterra will be open until 2 am.

Cat's Out of the Bag

Classic Austin dive bar Mean Eyed Cat opens new Driftwood outpost

Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

There ain't no grave can hold Austinites down when it's time to break in this new dive bar.

An Austin bar with a lot of personality has its eye on a new location. The Mean Eyed Cat is opening in Driftwood on Thursday, November 21.

This Johnny Cash-inspired bar has certainly always had the country aesthetic: the weathered wood, the live oak-shaded picnic tables, the black-and-white photos on the wall, and even the occasional taxidermy specimen. The same rustic vibes continue in Driftwood at 8750 W RR 150, Bldg. 100, according to a short press release.

Mean Eyed Cat Bar Driftwood interior This new bar already looks like it's been collecting antiques for decades.Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

Good luck getting there on Google Maps. Right now, it drops a pin at the intersection of Ranch to Market Road 150 and Elder Hill Road. However, it appears to be next to Mad Rooster's Liquor Store — we can see the side of the building through the window and the same road signs. We've reached out to a spokesperson to get the proper directions.

The Austin original has been around since 2004, and this offshoot is only its second location. The promises "the same laid-back, offbeat charm that made the original bar an icon."

Mean Eyed Cat Bar Driftwood interior What's a dive bar without a pool table?Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

Before the Austin location was a bar, it was a chainsaw repair shop that was aptly featured in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Chris Marsh was who converted it to a watering hole and Christened it the Mean Eyed Cat, and he later sold it to current owners Matt Luckie, Max Moreland, and Jed Thompson, placing it in a lineage that also includes Lavaca Street Bar & Grill, Sign Bar, Lala’s Little Nugget, and more locally beloved staples and oddities.

All the proper references are there in Driftwood, including several saw blades on the wall, Johnny Cash memorabilia, and lyrics on every available surface, including a picnic table that ominously says "HURT." First and foremost on the menu are whiskeys and classic cocktails, keeping things as simple as anyone would expect at a dive bar.

Mean Eyed Cat Bar Driftwood patio A spacious patio takes advantage of the Hill Country surroundings.Photo courtesy of the Mean Eyed Cat

Despite the relatively remote location, commenters on Instagram have already spotted people inside and started chomping at the bit. It sounds like opening day will be a lively affair.

The Mean Eyed Cat in Driftwood will be open Mondays through Thursdays from 2 pm to 2 am, and Fridays through Sundays from noon to 2 am. Happy hour will be weekdays from 4-7 pm.

dive bars whiskey cocktails openings driftwood

Remember ember

Downtown Austin's Seaholm District welcomes dazzling new restaurant

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Classic Austin dive bar Mean Eyed Cat opens new Driftwood outpost

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